THE DRIVES OF YOUR LIFE: THE PEAK DISTRICT
Heather-flecked moors, gritstone rock formations, reservoirs, forests, stately homes and endless beautiful landscapes… Susan Ward Davies finds them all in the UK’S oldest national park
Set off on a road trip
THE ROUTE Peak District National Park Loop, 110 miles.
Although not named for actual mountains but after the Anglo-saxon tribe Pecsaetan, who are believed to have settled there, the Peak District National Park still seems very, well, peaky. At the Park’s southern tip, the road north from Ashbourne winds past old brick farmhouses and sheep-grazed fields, and pointy hills loom magically out of the fog like a child’s drawing of mountains.
Divided roughly into the Dark Peak and the White Peak, the northern Dark Peak is more rugged with wild moorlands and craggy outcrops, and the south-western White Peak softer and lusher, all slate-roofed cottages, rich farmland and limestone gorges.
The Peak District was designated the UK’S first national park in April 1951, and covers 555 square miles, mostly in Derbyshire but spilling into Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire.
From Ashbourne, drive north on the A515, branching off through the tiny village of Thorpe for a walk along the lovely Dovedale valley. From there, take the B5056 to the magnificent Tissington Hall, then up towards Rowsley and pretty Bakewell for more architectural splendour at Haddon Hall, and walks and wonders at Chatsworth House. Ashford-in-the-water is next, then east towards Baslow and into the Dark Peak at Hathersage. Turn west to Hope and make a stunning loop around Hope Valley, over the spectacular Winnats Pass and Mam Tor hill and through the charming villages of Edale and Castleton, where you can explore four caverns. From here, take the A6013 north to the serene Derwent Valley reservoirs, joining the A57 over the impressive Ashopton Viaduct, the start of the spectacular Snake Pass to Glossop. Then, turn south on the A624 towards Chapel-en-le-frith and on to Buxton for the A515 back to Ashbourne.
THE PIT STOPS
Tissington Hall The Fitzherbert family have owned this magnificent Jacobean country pile for 400 years. Book a tour with owner Sir Richard Fitzherbert, walk the 13-mile Tissington Trail, take tea in the 11th-century estate village and then stay the night, with cottages priced from £230 for three nights; tissingtonhall.co.uk. Heights of Abraham Overlooking Matlock Bath, this spectacular hilltop park, with walking trails, caverns and an old lead mine, is accessed by a thrilling cable car over a gorge; heightsofabraham.com.
Haddon Hall This impressive 12th-century stately home is a must-see for its minstrel gallery and Elizabethan walled gardens; haddonhall.co.uk.
Bakewell Famous for the eponymous tart, this pretty market town is recognisable as Lambton in Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice. Chatsworth House, Bakewell One of the country’s most beautiful stately homes, 16th-century Chatsworth House is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, with 25 rooms and 105 acres of gardens open to the public. Walk from the estate village of Edensor and see the grave of Kathleen Kennedy, JFK’S sister, who married the eldest son of the 10th Duke of Devonshire; chatsworth.org.
Ashford-in-the-water With its three-arched Sheepwash Bridge, this is one of the Peak
District’s prettiest villages. Nearby is the eight-mile Monsal Trail along the old railway line from Bakewell’s Coombe Road to Blackwell Mill. Hathersage village Hathersage-born Little John, Robin Hood’s great ally, is said to be buried here, and North Lees Hall was Charlotte Brontë’s inspiration for Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre.
Edale One of the Park’s loveliest settings, Edale has Kinder Scout, the Park’s highest peak, to the north and Mam Tor to the south.
It is the start of the 268-mile Pennine Way.
Derwent Dam Three beautiful reservoirs, Derwent, Ladybower and Howden, are where the Second World War Dambusters practised their bombing raids.
Buxton Like a mini Bath, this thermal spa town has a copy of Bath’s Royal Crescent. See the Opera House, the Victorian Pavilion Gardens with its boating lake, and Poole’s Cavern, a limestone cave dating back two million years.
THE RESTAURANTS
Herbert’s, Tissington Enjoy cream teas, crumpets and bacon baps in quaint tearooms in Tissington village; herbertstearooms.co.uk.
Rafters at the Riverside House Hotel,
Ashford-in-the-water The ivy-clad hotel is run by the owners of the popular Rafters in Sheffield, so expect treats like wild venison tartare. Doubles from £200, with dinner and B&B; riversidehousehotel.co.uk. Riverside Kitchen, Bakewell Try the Riverside Kitchen – a cafe/deli-social hub – for porridge pots, bacon cobs and split pea dahl; riversidekitchen.uk.
Packhorse Inn, Little Longstone Take a break from the nearby Monsal Trail for open fires, cask ales and a locally sourced menu; packhorselongstone.co.uk.
Fischer’s Baslow Hall Just outside Baslow, with its cute cottages and medieval church, this imposing Grade Ii-listed manor house offers rural views and Michelin-starred menus; fischers-baslowhall.co.uk.
Caudwell’s Mill Take a tour and stock up with specialist flours and local produce; caudwellsmill.co.uk.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
Don’t leave the Peak District without trying these…
Derbyshire oat cakes: pancakes made with oatmeal.
Bakewell pudding: pastry filled with spongecake, jam and ground almonds.
Thor cake: a mix of oats, treacle, fruit and spices eaten on bonfire night and Halloween.
Sage Derby cheese: lovely marbled cheese flavoured and coloured with sage. Dovedale Blue: a soft, creamy cheese. Award-winning craft ales from the Peak Ales Brewery.
THE HOTELS
Swallows Cottage, Ashbourne This idyllic, two-bedroom hideaway has use of a pool in summer. From £125 a night; prioryholidaycottages.co.uk.
Boulder Field Cabin, near Matlock
Out in the wilds, this cosy eco-cabin has a wood-fired hot tub on the deck and log-burning stove inside. Set in 15 acres on beautiful Eagle Tor, it’s hiker heaven. Sleeps two, from £175 a night; boulderfieldcabin.co.uk. Fischer’s Baslow Hall Book an exquisite dinner (see left), and stay in one of the 11 bedrooms, all set in five acres of lovely gardens. Doubles from £220 a night, B&B; fischers-baslowhall.co.uk.
Peacock at Rowsley The former Dower house of nearby Haddon Hall, this 17th-century, riverside manor housed the crew of the 2005 film version of Pride And Prejudice. The 15 bedrooms are a stylish mix of antique and contemporary, while chef Dan Smith works his magic with Bakewell salmon and organic beef and venison from the Haddon Estate. From £175 a night, two nights minimum stay; thepeacockatrowsley.com.
The Rutland Arms, Bakewell Jane Austen fans will know she stayed in one of the 32 rooms in this 19th-century coaching inn while writing Pride And Prejudice. Doubles from £157.50, room only; rutlandarmsbakewell.co.uk. Cavendish Hotel, Baslow Big windows, log fires, tartan throws and 27 light and airy rooms can be found in this country house hotel on the edge of the Chatsworth estate. Doubles from £160, room only; devonshirehotels.co.uk. Buxton Crescent Hotel, Buxton Enjoy 18th-century elegance at the recently opened Buxton Crescent, with 81 rooms, some with fireplaces and four-posters, others beamed attics. Add an excellent restaurant, the upscale hydrotherapy spa and rooftop pool, and you have a seriously indulgent hideaway. Doubles from £125, B&B; ensanahotels.com/buxton.
THE ROUTE INSPIRATION What to read and watch to get you in the mood…
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen is partly set in the Peak District.
The Other Boleyn Girl, the Hollywood film with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, was partly shot at Haddon Hall. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre was inspired by North Lees Hall.
Fludd by Hilary Mantel is set in a fictional northern village similar to Hadfield, where Mantel spent her early years. Her memoir, Giving Up The Ghost, also references her childhood there. Black Dog by Stephen Booth is a crime novel set in the Peak District.